POLITICAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7039, 19 December 1890, Page 4

POLITICAL.

Council Appointments. [FROM QVB. OWN COBR-SPON-ENT.] "WELLINGTON, Dec. 18. The settlement within twenty -four hours to which I referred the other day has been arrived at by the isßue to-day of the proclamation calling 1 Parliament together on Jan. 23. That ends the crisis. The Governor went South in the Euapehu with Lady Onalow and family without, I believe, accepting the advice to make the appointments to the Council. Mr Ballance's protest against the appointments, as published this morning, has been the talk of the town ; firstly, because it leaked out that the copy sent to Government House was not received till thia morning. But in this, I happen to know, there was no intention on the part of anybody concerned to be disloyal to the Governor. Some of the Ministers are very angry at the Waste Lands Board to-day. Mr Coleman Phillips and the leases about which he was concerned were in question very much ; but though there was much questioning there was very little answering. The Board ended by cancelling the leases, ordering the arrears to be paid up, declaring Mr Coleman Phillips guilty of dummyism, and arranging to lay the case before the law officers, to see if there is not ground for further proceedings. Mr Ballance having been accused of publishing the Bryce telegram, positively denies that he did so. A telegram received to-day conveys the denial, and adds that Mr Ballance was much surprised at the reference to the telegram in the newspapers. No information, it is plain, was given about the telegram by Mr Ballance. The Government, it ia said, do not intend resigning, but will reconstruct in time for the meeting of Parliament. They have always claimed thirtytwo, and now, by adding Messrs Goldie, Palmer and Duthie to the list they claim thirty-five. The six doubtfuls of their list are Mr Kennedy i M'Donald, Ward of Awarua, Parata the southern Maori, E. M. Smith of Taranaki, and Houston of the Bay of Islands. These six they consider likely to become Ministerialists. Mr M'Donald vehemently denies the impeachment so far aB he is concerned. Ministers state that there will be no reconstruction beforo Parliament meets. They intend to face the House as they are, but they will not cay there will be no change in the personnel of the Cabinet before a vote is taken. They assert that the only reason for the sudden alteration in their announced intention on Monday was the discovery that the date originally proposed would not suit a number of members. They state that Mr Bryc's interviews with the Governor had nothing to do with the hitch, and that His Excellency himself sent for Mr Bryce, in order to have independent advice on the position. Mr Hislop has not yet sent in his formal resignation. The Otago Daily Times writes : — Once again we wish to protest in the strongest terms against any appointments being made to the Legislative Council. We have good reason for saying that the views we have expressed on this point are almost unanimously held in this city. Ministers will be flying in the face of public opinion if they carry their intentions into effect, and will tarnish their administrative record in the eye 3 of a large body of their supporters outside the House. As we said before, we do not take our stand on constitutional precedents, but on the common sense ground that the number of the Council is still above half those of the House of Representatives, and above all that no fresh appointments ought to be made until the Council has been reformed. The force of the last argument is irresistible, but the worst cf it is that reason is powerless before the will of a Government which is in a minority. If, however, Ministers think there is any chance of keeping themselves in office, we would strongly advise them not to commit an act which will so considerably discredit them.